Acidity regulators are substances that alter or control the acidity or alkalinity of a foodstuff. They are added to food for that purpose. This definition follows Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Union.
Vietnam regulates additives through a list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, referencing international Codex standards); a substance not on the list is not permitted in Vietnam, and that is the first tier of the Yenzo Scale — see how levels are set.
Very low risk: no concern at the levels used in food. How we score →
Fun fact. Citric acid, a familiar acidity regulator, used to be extracted from citrus fruits. In 1917 the food chemist James Currie found that any strain of the mould Aspergillus niger produces high concentrations of citric acid when grown in a sugar medium. He also showed the growth medium needed and the fungus's ability to grow at low pH. Two years later the American company Pfizer built a pilot plant for biochemical production of citric acid. By the mid 1920s, production by A. niger fermentation far outweighed extraction from citrus fruits. Today citric acid is produced industrially by this same fungus. Source: How a fungus shapes biotechnology: 100 years of Aspergillus niger research (Fungal Biology and Biotechnology, 2018)
According to Yenzo's additive pages, E330 is common in soft drinks, fruit juices, sweets, jellies and jams; E296 in sour sweets, jelly sweets, soft drinks and jams; E270 in soft drinks, sour sweets, sauces and pickled vegetables. The page of each code gives more detail.
Labels usually write the group name with the INS number, for example “acidity regulator (330)”. A label may also write the E code, the INS code or the name of the substance. The same substance can be written in different ways.
Yenzo does not rank codes. Some codes of this group have a page on Yenzo: E330 (citric acid), E260 (acetic acid), E270 (lactic acid), E296 (malic acid). Each of them has a row in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT with the function “chất điều chỉnh độ acid” (acidity regulator).
Updated 28 October 2026
Are there acidity regulators in your product?
Snap the label — Yenzo finds them and rates the product.
Thank you! We have received it and will reply by e-mail if needed.
Yenzo